Eight months after she narrowly lost a bid for an at-large seat on the New Orleans City Council, former Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis revived her political career Saturday, easily beating three opponents in a special election for the state Senate's 2nd District.

The victory sends Willard-Lewis, the council's District E representative for a decade, back to the Legislature, where she served in the state House from 1993 to 2000.

The election was called to replace Ann Duplessis, who resigned in July to take a top job in Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration. The 2nd District includes eastern New Orleans and the Lower 9th Ward.

Willard-Lewis, 57, led the four-candidate field with 63 percent of the vote. She was followed by lawyer Michael Darnell, a first-time candidate who served a three-month interim appointment on the City Council in 2007.

Trailing behind were first-term School Board member Ira Thomas and Edward Washington III, a former deputy city attorney who left City Hall a year ago.

Willard-Lewis, who ran with the support of a long list of elected officials, including District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro and Sheriff Marlin Gusman, touted her government experience, which she said will allow her to hit the ground running in Baton Rouge.

Her opponents questioned how much she has accomplished as a district council member and legislator representing much of the Senate district, which includes many areas still struggling to recover five years after Hurricane Katrina.

63 of 63 precincts Votes Pct.

Michael "Mike" Darnell 1,888 21

Ira Thomas 1,137 13

Edward Washington III 236 3

Cynthia Willard-Lewis 5,613 63

1st City Court, Section C

Veronica Henry and Jennifer Eagan will meet in a runoff for the Section C seat at 1st City Court. They led two other candidates including Angela Imbornone, the daughter of recently retired Judge Charles Imbornone.

The seat was vacated after Sonja Spears decided not to seek a third term amid a federal investigation into her work habits.

366 of 366 precincts Votes Pct.

Jennifer B. Eagan 10,179 31

Mark Michael Gonzalez 1,927 6

Veronica E. Henry 12,031 36

Angela C. Imbornone 8,993 27

Juvenile Court, Section C

Candice Bates Anderson won her first campaign for public office, topping a field that included two-time Juvenile Court candidate Richard Exnicios and political newcomers Catrice Johnson-Reid and Jacqueline Carroll-Gilds.

Bates Anderson emerged from political obscurity to win the backing of District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, Sheriff Marlin Gusman, Clerk of Civil District Court Dale Atkins and a host of elected representatives. From the start of her campaign, she conceded that she had never practiced in Juvenile Court, but she promised community-based rehabilitative programs for troubled children. She also pledged to restore integrity to the court.

The seat was vacated when former Chief Judge David Bell resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment of court employees.

Anderson took criticism from Exnicios, who launched a website devoted to depicting her as an inexperienced lawyer.

366 of 366 precincts Votes Pct.

Candice Bates Anderson 19,904 52

Jacqueline Carroll-Gilds 3,173 8

Richard Exnicios 9,858 26

Catrice Johnson-Reid 5,021 13

City Charter amendment, Sewerage & Water Board

New Orleans voters passed a City Charter amendment regarding City Council representation on the Sewerage & Water Board. Previously, the charter stipulated that both at-large City Council members and one district member would serve on the 13-member board. The change now directs the council to appoint one at-large member and two "other" council members. The ballot measure was proposed by Council President Arnie Fielkow and supported by the Bureau of Governmental Research, which noted that giving the council more flexibility in its appointees would help ensure that the members chosen could handle the time commitment required.

366 of 366 precincts Votes Pct.

Yes 24,190 66

No 12,394 33

French Quarter security district parcel fee

After weeks of contentious debate, French Quarter voters rejected a property fee to pay for private security patrols in the city's most famous neighborhood. Proponents put forth the proposal as a way to deter crime by having visible patrols roaming the streets 24 hours a day, mainly on bicycles and open-air four-wheel vehicles.

But critics claimed the fees, which would bring in about $1 million a year, were exorbitant for the level of service to be provided, noting that as few as three patrol officers would be on duty at a time and that, except at night, they would not carry guns. They also argued that visitors and businesses should pay for any increased security measures, not residents.

Despite its small population, millions of tourists flood the French Quarter annually, giving it an extremely high crime rate on a per-capita basis. Under the proposal, owners of individual homes, condos and rental buildings with four or fewer units would have paid $185 a year, while small commercial buildings and apartment buildings with five or more units would have paid $395. Businesses that sell alcohol for on-premises consumption would have paid $545, and about 50 large commercial properties, including hotels and retail malls, would have been billed from $900 to $15,000 a year, depending on their size and use.